tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37388221211740248102017-12-28T11:52:15.636-08:00Further Up Further InEmmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-64873432160851328632016-03-01T12:27:00.001-08:002016-03-01T12:27:27.763-08:00Thank You Taxes... No Seriously
The myth of control is a brutal.
Most of the New Testament took place in a time when social justice was a joke, political corruption was the norm, religious persecution was bloody and encouraged, people pooped in the streets, sex with almost anything was accepted if not encouraged, dying was how you treated most illnesses, warlords ruled the outskirts, and megalomaniacs sat in judgment of Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-85488502288102903552014-03-29T18:10:00.001-07:002016-03-01T11:03:08.478-08:00The Selfish Christian
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mso-font-signature:0 0 65536 0 Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-38276018024818264602013-03-30T17:07:00.000-07:002013-03-30T17:07:07.531-07:00Objectively Bad
Because everyone else is sure to write something about Easter I decided to be part of the fad.
I was spending time with some friends, trying to act spiritual on Good Friday, when I stumbled into seeing something that was always there. Within the passion section of Mark there is this bit about the Jews, influenced by their leaders, asking for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. I've Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-80709980462945685612012-11-15T18:04:00.000-08:002012-11-16T00:30:24.886-08:00The Immorality of Mass CharityFriends have helped me before, sometimes in big ways. I am not against charity. I'm in the early stages of recovering from three years of personal "charitable" endeavors, and even now looking to the next thing I can give my life to. I am not against charity.
Feelings and intent aren't enough. For all our faults, and they are many, America is a charitable society. In addition to everything else Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-39168867158885224872012-07-21T11:36:00.002-07:002012-07-21T11:36:41.576-07:00Smite!
I was talking with some friends and filling them in on Haiti when one of them asked about the earthquake and the judgment of God. He wasn't pulling a Pat Robertson or anything, he was just trying to connect dots between faith and the brokenness of the world. It was the second time in as many days I heard something connecting natural disaster and God's judgment. Jeff Daniels character on AaronEmmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-41722701602931283882012-07-18T15:28:00.002-07:002012-07-18T15:28:56.327-07:00Sean Of The Dead
Sean could have said it in a clearer less offensive way, but I don't think he could haves said it better.
We were in the desert covered in sand, sitting around a campfire, and periodically shooting each other with airsoft (not so soft) guns while talking about a wide range of topics. Dirty Jimmy, a man who lived up to his name, was doing his best to hold his weight in a conversations about Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-79812971448534902432012-06-20T06:53:00.001-07:002012-06-20T06:53:16.187-07:00Hey Everybody...
If I had a life theme for the last few months it would be Reading and Siestas. If there were something deeper it would be Selfishness and Esteeming Others More Highly Than Myself.
Living an isolated life in a large group of people creates a strange dynamic. I'm always with people, but hampered by language issues, I'm rarely "with" people. The interactions and friendships are real, but limitedEmmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-43473877880799637792012-06-05T06:24:00.000-07:002012-06-05T06:24:06.512-07:00Deja Vu All Over AgainStarted working on an old project again and I read this, thought you might like it,
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Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-29575345807679383782012-04-16T13:18:00.006-07:002012-04-16T15:04:37.820-07:00A New CommandmentIn my perfect world Ash would be the ideal guy to model missions on. Wisecracking plays, knowledge is only moderately useful, shop smart shop S-Mart, and always go with the boom-stick and chainsaw combo. Unfortunately there is a little issue with reality, and just because a bunch of other people like to ignore it doesn't mean I get to."What are we doing?" it's a question a friend of mine in Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-50326385814231599652012-03-28T16:15:00.004-07:002017-10-03T09:59:48.969-07:00Mangoes In The Teeth
Being in Haiti during mango season means learning to floss on a daily basis, it also means learning to check yourself.
Cultural mindsets can be a bit tricky to walk around. Some I need to let challenge me, some I need to learn how to challenge, and some I need to keep my mouth shut about. I'm not a sociologist, I don't hold any culture immune to criticism. Sometimes we need to stand up and in Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-25787896265416414442012-03-11T12:37:00.007-07:002017-10-03T10:03:57.903-07:00Self serving comments about other self serving peopleI tend to dislike awareness campaigns, the "I wear a bracelet because I know and I care" type stuff. It seems fairly self important and meaningless. What kind of idiot would I be if I walked around San Diego with a homelessness awareness bracelet and went to college groups talking about the issue rather than doing something practical for the people on the street. I found out today a friend of Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-61635158395326485082012-03-08T07:18:00.004-08:002017-10-03T10:08:11.933-07:00All that glitters is not gold
Haiti has the ability to make you think about things you really don't want to think about. It has the potential to reveal the best and worst in us. A few hours from the U.S. Haiti is the pet project of a massive number of NGO's and church groups, many of which were here long before the earthquake, and yet, Haiti is worse off than it was 30 years ago (not even counting the earthquake). This Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-11416970208724533432012-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:002012-02-08T19:28:22.242-08:00Something Easy to Get StartedSo I'm in Haiti now and still wondering what comes next. With the renewed anointing of power, the electricity has been off for a week, I thought I'd post a few pictures that reminded me of Africa. Kriss Kross, snot, baby goats, tire toy, massive spiders, etc.Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-85493881674263865222011-12-27T18:14:00.000-08:002011-12-27T18:17:01.205-08:00In HaitiA week ago a friend asked if I was busy, today I'm in Port-au-Prince with a group of people I've mostly never met before. I'm curious to see what happens next. If I were to judge a place by its sunsets this one would get high marks, if by traffic, not so much. Looking out over the orphanage we'll spend the next week at, I wondered what it could look like with a few more repairs, constructionEmmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-69174866279803598222011-11-06T10:14:00.000-08:002011-11-06T11:51:34.254-08:00Not talking about George Michael or Limp BizketFaith is a strange mistress. She is different for everyone and her complexities hide her from our attempts to box her in. I don't think I'd have it any other way.Over the past few days I've talked with a couple friends about their faith walks (sorry for the christianese, sometimes it's just easier). Both times I've wanted to be the wise sage able to fix everything with the turn of a phrase. Only Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-38422681287955475022011-09-28T11:05:00.000-07:002011-09-28T13:49:29.147-07:00An odd little huccup, and why media can be kinda coolThe disclaimer:I don't think I've ever written about a movie, I mean this was never meant to be a media or pop-culture blog. That said, almost a week after watching it, I can't get Drive out of my mind. Not the characters, the cinematography, the music, or the deeper heart of the thing. I watched Moneyball a few days ago and walked out of it thinking about how good Drive was.This is not me Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-64573353498370752242011-09-22T11:13:00.000-07:002017-10-03T10:24:03.982-07:00Like a Jerk
I felt like a Jerk the first time I said it, though the more I thought about it the more I believed it: Poverty is relative.
I recently read two articles/blogs that echoed my statement but articulated it in ways not "Jerky". If you want to hear people say things better than me, check these out:
http://www.elchupacabrawrites.com/2011/09/poverty.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-23289560927047374002011-09-14T10:00:00.000-07:002011-09-14T11:51:55.026-07:00Maturity? #2In the midst of a recent two day road trip with my dad he asked the question. Most men still on speaking terms with their fathers know what I'm talking about. He did his part to keep it from sounding "disappointed father nagging-ish", which I appreciated. The paraphrase went like this: Don't take this the wrong way, I don't have any problems with the way you live your life, but I'm curious. How Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-24408251656090822232011-09-05T09:16:00.000-07:002011-09-05T10:29:30.666-07:00Maturity? #1I've changed over the last few years, perhaps even grown. Of course this is what we're supposed to do... isn't it?Re-acclimating to the Western world, and seeing friends for the first time in close to two years, highlighted a few shifts for me. One of the big ones is my growing ability to not give a shit. I consider this a positive shift. I still have an opinion on American politics, I just don'tEmmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-56778608444670445962011-08-19T09:45:00.000-07:002011-08-19T11:07:53.799-07:00The Beautiful Hag
Cathedrals have always been a sketchy point for me. From a strictly aesthetic standpoint, as someone who builds things, I think most are beautiful and amazing. As a christian constantly bothered by the Church's eagerness to squander and misuse funds, especially in times of poverty, famine, and disease, the massive expense to build and maintain cathedrals bothers me.
As cool as they are, Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-66254711088665362072011-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:002011-07-19T10:19:10.591-07:00Turkish ObservationsA few observations from Istanbul:1. Istanbul is in serious competition for the Oscar for coolest city ever.2. Some Turkish women are quite attractive and all Turkish men look like gangsters or Eurotrash D-bags.3. It's appropriately ironic that the 'Blue' Mosque was specifically designed as a one-up to the mosque directly across from it. Not so ironically it succeeds in it's task.4. To the chick Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-16995207655483871952011-07-18T02:27:00.000-07:002017-10-03T10:26:43.729-07:00Sting shoulda known not to messWith only a few hours left in Uganda I feel like I should be reflecting and having deep moments... I'm not. Mostly I'm just checking non existent emails, not caring too much about the U.S. loss to Japan (not sure if it's because Japan has been through so much lately and it's nice to see them happy, or if it's because it's women's soccer and, as much as I'm a feminist by African standards, I'm Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-47772939915074981002011-07-11T03:48:00.000-07:002011-07-11T03:59:50.147-07:00Little Monsters... every one of us<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-67327991938873789862011-07-03T03:18:00.000-07:002011-07-03T04:06:54.199-07:00I'm kinda a big deal, except... <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738822121174024810.post-6154501365212046702011-06-29T03:09:00.000-07:002011-06-29T03:16:39.825-07:00How we get there<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Emmethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02758728975176586446noreply@blogger.com0